


Settle in Wycome

by louderswine



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Domestic, F/M, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 22:36:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4853153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louderswine/pseuds/louderswine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are plenty of stories about dragons and adventures, but sometimes, the best are about home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Settle in Wycome

When he takes her to his childhood home, it is like nothing he has ever experienced. It is a rush of pleasure and pain as his siblings embrace him and recount tales of his past. He is an uncle again and a brother. She is an outsider but family all the same, chatting with his sister as if they had grown together. Now, she is a sister, too.

They cannot stay, though. This isn’t where they chose to settle. While there is family, home is not here for her. It’s not where her heart truly lies. He knows this and doesn’t force her to stay. Instead, he travels with her, as for him, home is by her side.

After Honnleath, she is disappointed at the lack of golem statue but happier once they make their way to Wycome. It’s a welcome sight to see her people and Keeper waiting for her. They take to her as if no time has passed, encompassing her in warmth and it’s his turn to stand back to watch, guts twisting, breath held, wishing that he could be included but never thinking to ask.

She resumes her duties as First even though she has learned more than any Keeper in her clan. He is proud of her return and guiltily looks to her like she is a beacon, knowing that it is much to put on her again. However, she finds this comforting, as it is something familiar in the strange place that is like her home, yet at the same time is so far from it.

The secret meetings continue for a time, but everyone is tired and the one they chase is a shadow, never solid, a flickering shape in the distance that they cannot touch. Her focus shifts to her people as the gatherings grow impersonal and relaxed. He hangs up his cape, packs it with joy and the thought of her free to follow her own path once more. His belt gains a notch, wider, calmer. It is everything he didn’t know he wanted.

He wishes to retire with the mabari at his feet. Fate has other plans for him as the captain of the guard finds him in their home. Without the Inquisition, the city is vulnerable, and many dislike the freedom the elves have discovered. They need a military man and persuade him that it will only be an advisory position for a short amount of time, but soon he finds himself in full armor, giving orders to recruits. He is happy, though.

Roots form underneath their feet, winding, growing, holding them in place. The Council reshuffles, and she finds herself upon it. He is even more proud of her now. His face splits, pulling at the old scars as he follows her orders. In his mind, this is how it should be. He believes no one can lead as she does.

Words once strangers on his tongue become common. The elven tongue flitters off his as if second nature. _Ma serannas_ when one of his guards hands him a report. _Ar lath ma_ , which the men taught him so he could whisper it to her when he had her alone. It terrifies him when he thinks that there was a time where he would have shunned such beauty.

One month, he forgets to write, and the next, old family meets new. The changes in him surprise them. He is gentle and kind, laughing easily, without pain or reservation. His tones are soft, reminding them much of the boy they had known before he had left their sheltered home. It brings tears to his sister’s eyes. At first, he thinks that he has wronged her before he begins to shed them, too.

Squirming in his arms, the infant wails. She is theirs, a combination of them though she looks so human. His wife isn’t worried, but he remembers when he gazes at her, knows what she will face outside the safe walls he has built for her. He thinks he can sense magic in her, a sleeping dragon curling inside her. It surprises him when he finds that he is more proud than afraid. She is like her. She will be strong, and the world will tremble in her presence. As he holds her, he finally feels as if he is worthy.

**Author's Note:**

> If you were wondering about the style, I originally wrote it as Cole, but I didn't want to set up a framing device and decided to post it raw. Anyway, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
